Massive 800 yard long drug tunnel discovered between San Diego and Mexico

 Federal authorities in San Diego said Wednesday that they had discovered an 800-yard secret tunnel — believed to be the longest ever found in California — under the U.S.-Mexico border, leading to the seizure of more than a ton of cocaine and seven tons of marijuana.



The tunnel extends 300 yards from a house in Tijuana, Mexico, to the border and then 500 yards on the U.S. side to a fenced lot in the San Diego industrial area of Otay Mesa. The lot was advertised as a wooden pallet business, with one sign reading, "Otay Pallets -- We Buy Pallets."



The tunnel was equipped with a rail system, ventilation, lights and an elevator that could fit up to 10 people, officials said. The exit on the U.S. side is about 3 feet wide and was covered by a trash bin. U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy told reporters the bin was used to store narcotics that had been spirited into the U.S.



She also said the tunnel was unusual because it was used for cocaine, not just marijuana.



Six people were arrested in San Diego on Friday and charged with crimes involving drugs and construction of the tunnel. It was the 13th sophisticated secret passage found along California's border with Mexico since 2006, including three on the same short street in San Diego that runs parallel to a border fence with a densely populated residential area on the Mexican side.